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Infante picks his time to steal wisely

DETROIT -- Omar Infante doesn't always have the green light to steal a base, he said. The batters behind him play a role in that. When he has a chance to go, however, he's a fairly aggressive runner.

On Tuesday, he stole second base without a throw, and it changed the tone of the decisive fifth inning that changed the course of the game. It wasn't a decision based on Astros starter Lucas Harrell not paying attention to him, he said. Infante stole second there because of the count.

With a 2-2 count to Don Kelly, Infante said, he knew Harrell was probably going to throw an offspeed pitch, giving him an extra split second before catcher Jason Castro could get a throw off.

It was Infante's second stolen base in as many attempts this season. He's 9-for-11 in regular-season steals since the Tigers reacquired him last July.

Infante jumped into the leadoff spot for Wednesday's series finale against the Astros.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.